Jian Dan descended slowly from the sky, redirecting the last remnants of her sword force toward the barrier. The weight of Earth Sword Momentum struck the shield, shaking it violently. The final wave of Metal Sword Momentum sliced straight through, cleanly splitting the glowing barrier in two.
The spectating cultivators were quick to react, retreating from the dueling platform to a safe distance. With a Void Refinement-stage cultivator taking action, those in the Divine Soul and Divine Transformation stages didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
Up in the air, Jian Pan Zūnshàng reached out and retracted the dispersed sword force, preventing it from accidentally harming others.
Watching Jian Dan redirect her remaining sword force and break through the defensive array, Jian Wan already knew—she had lost.
Jian Dan clasped her hands together respectfully. "Senior Sister, thank you for letting me win."
Jian Wan clenched her jaw. "I lost."
"Victory goes to Jian Lu," came the voice of Jian Pan Zūnshàng from above, signaling the end of the challenge.
Yue Liang blinked and reappeared on Jian Dan's shoulder. Her tail curled around Jian Dan's neck, her little eyes squinting into crescents.
"Congratulations, Zhūnzhǔ, on your victory."
Jian Ning, Fu Yao, and Pi You immediately stepped forward to help Jian Wan up. Fu Yao's eyes darted around in disbelief—she hadn't expected her master to lose. Pi You glanced once at Yue Liang perched on Jian Dan's shoulder, her gaze unreadable. As for Jian Ning, her expression was blank as the other two squeezed her aside.
Jian Dan shook her head. With people like this lurking around, her own confidence had become clouded. That was why she'd rushed into issuing this challenge. For a Void Refinement cultivator, the significance of such a duel was far from trivial.
She hadn't expected the opponent to be so weak, unable to take even a single strike properly.
She especially disliked the look in Pi You's eyes. When Pi You glanced at her again, a flicker of cold blue light flashed through Jian Dan's gaze. Pi You froze. Fu Yao gave her a light tap to pull her back from her daze.
Fu Yao followed Pi You's gaze and saw Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ watching them, expression playful. Jian Dan hooked the corner of her lips into a faint smile before being surrounded by fellow cultivators in the Divine Transformation and Divine Soul stages, all offering their congratulations.
In contrast, only a few people came to Jian Wan Zhūnzhǔ's side. After exchanging a few words of comfort, they dispersed. Jian Ning and the others offered to escort Jian Wan back, but she declined and disappeared into Tianjian Peak without a word.
Jian Ning watched her master leave, then turned and walked straight toward the Law Enforcement Hall.
Seeing that her opponent had already left, Jian Dan had no desire to linger and flaunt her victory. She returned the nearby congratulations with a clasped-fist salute, then disappeared from sight.
Back at her cave residence on Tian Yue Peak, Jian Dan had only just sat down when a transmission talisman flew in.
"Jian Lu Zhūnzhǔ, please come to Law Enforcement Peak."
Jian Dan could only roll her eyes. Could she not have even a moment's peace?
Yue Liang jumped into her lap and flicked her tail.
"You won. Why is the Law Enforcement Hall still looking for you?"
"That's a good question. I've no idea either. Guess I'll find out when I get there."
Just as Jian Dan stood up to leave for Enforcement Peak, her four attendants surrounded her.
"Congratulations on your victory, Zhūnzhǔ!"
Grinning from ear to ear, all four presented a pile of storage rings.
"Zhūnzhǔ, here's the spirit stones you won," Yun Shu said sweetly.
"Zhūnzhǔ, you should've seen the face of that Nascent Soul cultivator running the betting table inside the inner peaks. It was priceless," Yun Juan added, clearly still thrilled—he'd never seen so many spirit stones in his life.
"I told you all to keep things low-key. Don't flaunt it," Jian Dan reminded them.
"Don't worry, Zhūnzhǔ. We went separately, all used the disguise pills you gave us, and blended into the crowd of cultivators cashing out," Ting Feng reported, ever the cautious one.
Jian Dan nodded and swept her sleeve, collecting all the storage rings into her spatial pouch. Then she tossed each of them a small storage pouch.
"There are Condensation Pills inside. Plan your cultivation schedules and find the right time to form your Yuányīng."
Joy lit up their faces. They bowed deeply.
"Many thanks for your reward, Zhūnzhǔ!"
"I'm heading out. You'll stay behind to guard the place."
"Yes."
Disciplinary Hall
Jian Dan stepped into the grand hall of the Law Enforcement Hall. Sitting at the head was Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ. Jian Wu, Jian Ning, and Jian Sheng were also present.
"Greetings, Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ. May I ask what's so urgent that I was summoned here?"
Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ waved her toward a seat. Jian Ning quickly brought over some tea, while Jian Wu and Jian Sheng stood silently to the side.
After studying her for a moment, Jian Li finally spoke.
"Wasn't your attack today a bit too forceful?"
"Too forceful?" Jian Dan raised an eyebrow.
The other three nodded in unison. Clearly, they all thought so.
Jian Dan sighed and tried to defend herself.
"But I only used one strike!"
"How much spiritual power did you put into it?" Jian Li continued.
"Half."
Jian Dan answered honestly. There was no point hiding it. With so many high-level cultivators watching, the truth was bound to be exposed.
Jian Li shook her head and tossed a black command token to her. The token was palm-sized, the front engraved with the character for "War," and the back showing Tian Jian Sect's gates with two crossing swords.
Jian Dan caught it, puzzled. "What's this?"
"A directive from Tian Yun Zhēnzūn. Jian Lu is hereby appointed as the Hall Master of the 'War Hall' under the Law Enforcement Hall. You have full authority and may act independently."
Jian Dan felt her scalp go numb. What was this even supposed to mean? She set the token aside and asked,
"What if I'd lost?"
"You wouldn't have."
This time it was Jian Li who answered—and then she added,
"You only used one strike."
She was throwing Jian Dan's own words back at her. Jian Dan could only feel the crushing weight of her own actions as if she'd dropped a boulder squarely on her own foot.
When Jian Dan had defeated Jian Wan, the observing Zūnshàng and Zhēnzūn had been stunned. To bring down a seasoned Void Refinement sword cultivator with a single strike—this said more than words ever could.
Several of them had requested Jian Dan's file from the Law Enforcement Hall. That was when they discovered that Jian Jun had already recruited her into the Law Enforcement Hall long ago. For the past fifty years, she had been carrying out sect missions without delay in her cultivation.
Of course, the exact nature of those missions had been edited by the "Intel" Division on Jian Li's orders.
Now that Jian Jun was absent and Jian Li was left stretched thin, appointing someone to share the burden made sense. And since Jian Dan was so formidable, why not hand her the War Hall?
Which brought them to this moment.
Jian Dan paused, then asked with a grin, "Can I refuse?"
"You already accepted the token."
She pointed at the black command token still sitting on the table. "It's just sitting there."
A rare smile appeared on Jian Li's normally stern face.
"The moment you touched it, your aura bound to it. All that's left is a drop of blood to claim it."
Indeed, Jian Dan could now sense a faint trace of her spiritual energy on the token. Yue Liang sniffed at the token, picked it up, and returned to Jian Dan's shoulder.
Jian Dan couldn't bear to look. Jian Ning was already chuckling behind her hand, while Jian Wu and Jian Sheng cracked rare smiles.
"Looks like Yue Liang understands the situation better than you do. There's no room to negotiate. Accept it. There's no rush to take up the position. Finish leading the sect team for the upcoming tournament first."
Jian Dan could only accept her fate. She flicked Yue Liang on the forehead and bowed to the group before returning to her cave.
Watching her act like the token was a burning coal, Jian Li allowed herself a satisfied smile. Entrusting the War Hall's power to Jian Dan was a gamble—but considering her conduct since joining Heavenly Sword Sect, her character, cultivation, and strength, the decision was sound.
The Zhēnzūn had chosen wisely.